Jammu and Kashmir DSP Devinder Singh, arrested for helping terrorists, dismissed from service

Jammu and Kashmir DSP Devinder Singh, who was arrested on January 11 with two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, was dismissed from service on Wednesday (January 15). Singh was arrested by Jammu and Kashmir police during an operation in Sopian when he was going towards Jammu with top Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists Naveed Babu and Asif Ahmad. A lawyer, who is believed to be an overground worker of Hizbul Mujahideen.

The vehicle in which Singh was travelling with the terrorists was intercepted after the police tracked the movements and location of Babu, who was once a Special Police Officer in Jammu and Kashmir police.

According to security forces, Babu was involved in the killing of 11 people from outside Kashmir, including truck drivers and labourers in in October and November 2019. He was also wanted for his involvement in forcing a shutdown in south Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.

Sources said that during his interrogation, Singh has repeatedly maintained that he was not helping the terrorists to escape from Kashmir and that he was taking the duo to surrender before the Jammu and Kashmir police.

In a related development, Jammu and Kashmir Police on Tuesday (January 14) clarified that Singh was not awarded any gallantry or meritorious medal by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

“It is to clarify that Deputy Superintendent of Police Davinder Singh is not awarded any Gallantry or Meritorious Medal by MHA as has been reported by some media outlets/persons. Only gallantry medal awarded to him during his service is by the erstwhile J&K State on Independence Day 2018,” Jammu and Kashmir Police said in a tweet.

Earlier on Sunday (January 12), Jammu and Kashmir Inspector General of Police Vijay Kumar had said that Singh will be dealt as a "terrorist". Addressing a press conference, IGP J&K Police Vijay Kumar had said that Singh was arrested after the police received a tip-off that some terrorists were going towards Srinagar-Jammu highway.